Chester Opera House

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Chester Opera House was a cinema and theatre which showed both movies and live stage performances in Chester, Illinois, USA. Elzie Segar, the creator of Popeye, worked there from the age of twelve. [1] The Chester Opera House was built in the late 19th century. It was converted to a movie house about 1920 by its owner, Bill Schuchert. Now closed as a movie theater, the old Opera House now houses a Popeye-themed gift shop and museum. [2] Current owners, Debbie and Mike Brooks bought and renovated the Opera House into the Spinach Can Collectables gift shop and Chester Opera House museum back in 1994. [3]

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References

  1. Robert C. Harvey, The art of the funnies, p. 161
  2. "Chester Opera House 1001-3 State Street, Chester, IL". cinematreasures.org. Archived from the original on 30 December 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  3. "How "Popeye the Sailor" put a rural Illinois town on the international map". medium.com. Archived from the original on 24 January 2024. Retrieved 23 Jan 2024.

37°54′44.1″N89°49′24.4″W / 37.912250°N 89.823444°W / 37.912250; -89.823444